Dallas County added another 1,348 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday along with 33 more deaths attributed to the virus -- the highest number of fatalities reported in a single day since July.
Of the cases reported Wednesday, the county said 1,090 were confirmed cases and 258 were probable (antigen test) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county from March to 138,233 and the number of probable (antigen test) cases to 14,055. Over the last seven days, Dallas County officials have confirmed 10,426 confirmed and probable cases of the virus.
The county's report of 33 deaths marks the second-highest number of fatalities reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest number was 36 reported on July 29.
"The deaths we report today are a direct correlation to the high number of cases reported several weeks ago," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a press release. "The decisions that we make today will determine how many cases are confirmed in 7 to 14 days, how many hospitalizations we have three weeks from now, and how many deaths we report at this time next month."
"Now is the time for advance planning, thinking ahead of the gifts and supplies we’ll need for the holidays and ordering those for curbside pickup or online," Jenkins said. "Doing our grocery shopping with curbside pickup and other modest changes, can help us to limit our number of contacts. We will get through this North Texas and we’ll get through it together by supporting one another and making good choices, not just for ourselves but for our entire community."
The ages of the 33 latest victims ranged from the 20s to 90s. Five of the victims died at long-term care facilities in Dallas and 28 died while hospitalized. The fatalities were residents of Dallas, Balch Springs, Duncanville, Mesquite, Lancaster, Hutchins and Cedar Hill. All except three had underlying health conditions, according to the county.
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The county said that the provisional 7-day average for new confirmed and probable cases by date of a test collection for CDC week 48 was 1,117 and represents a rate of 42.4 daily new cases per 100,000 residents.
Over the past 30 days, there have been 4,520 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from more than 735 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, including 681 staff members. Of those cases, 534 have been associated with extracurricular activities, including athletics, the report said.
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